Cliff Meidl will be moderating the Electrical Safety Summit at the 2021 Global Excavation Safety Conference.
I am excited to partner once again with Infrastructure Resources and the Global Excavation Safety Conference to continue promoting the important message of safe digging across the damage prevention industry. Our number one priority, digging and working safe, requires personal dedication in both accountability and a shared responsibility. Our families truly depend on us and they deserve it.
Unfortunately, this year our opportunity to get this critical message out was postponed due to the global challenge of COVID-19. I hope this will soon pass and everyone and their families stay healthy and safe in the meantime.
As we look ahead to next year’s Electrical Safety Summit, we have an expert group of panelists from around the world. We look forward to this opportunity to address Best Practices for Damage Prevention After a Disaster. Panelists will provide expertise on how to prepare for disasters by “digging” into various policies and examples of best practices adopted by some utilities and damage prevention organizations.
“When it comes to best practices for disaster recovery, the best defense is a good offense,” says panelist Kelley Heinz, Damage Prevention Manager, ComEd. When disaster strikes, will your team be ready? Will your customers, constituents and employees be prepared? The recent coronavirus pandemic has shown us that preparation for disaster and how we respond to the crisis matters. Readiness and response will determine the severity and outcome of the catastrophe and how we approach the recovery process can mean the difference between restoration and another disaster. Has a business continuity or crisis management plan been designed? Has it been implemented? Has it been tested? What mitigation steps have been taken so that when that cataclysmic event happens, damage can be minimized? What does the response look like and are your crews trained to understand the processes, procedures and laws that need to be followed during the recovery process, especially in instances of mutual aid?
When a tragedy occurs, the main priorities are to get the damage repaired, customers restored and our lives returned to normal. Whether during a crisis or while performing day-to-day tasks, safety should always be first on our minds. Ready, Respond, Recover helps to create awareness of the possibilities and provides education on the shared responsibility of damage prevention following a disaster. Have you implemented a “Ready, Respond, Recover” platform in your program?
We look forward to collaborating more at the 2021 Electrical Safety Summit and offering your members a solution they can bring back to your organizations for handling damage prevention after a disaster.
My passion is to make a difference in someone’s life, especially when it comes to working safe. If I can inspire others to believe in themselves and be the best that they can be, I have fulfilled and accomplished my goal. I enjoy moderating the Summit because it provides a great opportunity to get our message out to our members on topics critical in damage prevention. We emphasize topics that are tangible and can lead to solution-based conclusions.
Cliff Meidl will be sharing his inspiring motivational safety presentation at the Conference. Register to attend and hear Cliff’s message at GlobalExcavationSafetyConference.com.
IT’S ABOUT ME & MY FAMILY – ZERO INJURIES
MOTIVATIONAL SAFETY SPEAKER CLIFF MEIDL IS A DAMAGE PREVENTION AMBASSADOR WHO HAS SERVED AS MODERATOR OF THE ELECTRICAL SAFETY SUMMIT FOR SEVERAL YEARS. HE HAS INSPIRED AUDIENCES AT MANY CONFERENCES AND DAMAGE PREVENTION SUMMITS ACROSS THE NATION.
AT THE AGE OF 20, CLIFF EXPERIENCED A TRAGIC CONSTRUCTION ACCIDENT WHICH RESULTED IN SEVERE ELECTRICAL BURNS AND THE NEAR LOSS OF BOTH LEGS. CLIFF AND HIS FAMILY BATTLED AGAINST ALL ODDS AND STAGED AN INCREDIBLE COMEBACK. ULTIMATELY, CLIFF WAS ABLE TO REALIZE HIS CHILDHOOD DREAM OF BECOMING AN OLYMPIAN AND WENT ON TO COMPETE IN BOTH THE 1996 AND 2000 OLYMPIC GAMES IN THE SPORT OF SPRINT KAYAKING. AT THE 2000 OLYMPIC GAMES IN SYDNEY, CLIFF’S FELLOW ATHLETES ELECTED HIM TO RECEIVE ONE OF THE HIGHEST HONORS, FLAG BEARER FOR TEAM USA – CARRYING THE U.S. FLAG INTO THE OPENING CEREMONY.
